Grenache — America’s Next Pinot?
How American Grenaches compare with Australian Grenache and Spanish Grenache.
Grenache has moved up from blending wine status to compete with Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
"Put a rose in your glass." Remember that ad that graced the earliest color television screens and initiated our first love affair with pink wine? The wine being hawked was, of course, Grenache. E. & J. Gallo even said so on their front label. What they didn't tell us was that Grenache Rosé was the product of a colossal mistake.
Grenache, as the rest of the world always knew, is a red wine grape whose original home is the southern Rhône valley. It's juice is a medium red, not unlike Pinot Noir in color and intensity. It forms the larger part of most Côtes-du-Rhône blends, including famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Gallo's mistake was thinking that they could grow Grenache in California's hot Central Valley. No one seemed to consider that, unlike most other red grapes, the hot sun would actually bleach the color from the skins of Grenache grapes and result in - you guessed it - pink wine. So for decades the only Grenache Americans knew was pink Grenache.
Grenache forms the base of the wine long considered the world's most distinguished pink wine, Tavel Rosé. But the French of Tavel vint their Grenache as a red wine, then blend it with various local white varietals to make their legendary pink product. Most modern New World rosé wines are made using red grapes and limiting the skin contact, a quite different approach from the French.
Around a quarter century ago New World winemakers began to rediscover Grenache, along with its close associate, Syrah. While Syrah was an almost instant success everywhere it was planted, particularly in Australia, Grenache was slow to catch the interest of New World wine lovers. Nevertheless, it was widely planted to provide a necessary blending wine for Rhône style blends, especially in California.
Meanwhile, Grenache was being offered as a stand alone red wine by some of Australia's most prestigious wineries, such as Clarendon Hills. Their current Grenache was given 93-95 points by The Wine Advocate and is said to develop well over 10-15 years.
Spain found a natural home for Grenache in the Priorat region near Barcelona. The Grenache vinted in Priorat can be dark, inky red, and thick with flavor. It can also cost as much as $140.
In California, the story of Grenache has followed a different course from Spain and Australia. California Grenache compares in some ways to Pinot Noir. It's typically a medium bodied, somewhat low tannin wine with fresh fruit flavors. Not many California wineries offer a varietal Grenache, but the best we have found is the splendid Grenache from Cass Winery in Paso Robles. It offers very rich spicy cherry flavors in a medium bodied wine with excellent balance and finesse. In our tasting of eight current California Grenaches, the Cass Grenache was the clear favorite. We would be pleased to see other California winemakers follow this outstanding model.
